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How to attain purpose-led business transformation
Discover how to attain purpose-led business transformation in this new white paper. Download now.
The latest EY Lane4 white paper, Ambition to Action: How to attain purpose-led transformation (pdf), provides practical insight for leaders who seek to put purpose at the core of their business. Based on a survey of over 2,000 employees (including 500 at C-suite level), interviews with 20 trail-blazing leaders and a rigorous literature review, our research encourages leaders to use organisational purpose as a compass to guide decision-making and deliver wider stakeholder value.
Global issues such as climate change, COVID-19 and poverty are becoming bigger, more complex and more interwoven than ever before, and there is an increasing demand for global businesses to take action. I believe that responsibility rests on all our shoulders to be, and create, the purpose-led leaders of the future. This research provides a useful guide.
What are the characteristics of a purpose-led leader?
Our research has caused me to reflect on my own leadership practice, as well as my experiences of working with numerous Boards and senior leaders over the years. Below, I have summarised the three core traits that I have found to be critical:
1. Leaders who embody the organisation’s purpose
When I co-founded my business, Lane4, over 25 years ago, I had a clear vision. I wanted to make a positive difference to people’s working lives and to leave a legacy – both for my employees and those we served in our client organisations. We boosted this purpose journey in July 2021 by becoming part of the EY UK team, joining together with the clear purpose of building a better working world on a global scale. It would have been unthinkable for me/us to fold into a business that existed for any other reason. Even during my swimming career, sustaining my performance over time was as motivating for me as winning in big competitions. As a leader of people, it has been the same. Making a positive, sustained difference to people’s lives, and therefore their performance, is how I live my life. It’s what gets me out of bed every day. It’s part of who I am. And I think this congruence between personal values and purpose is fundamental to being a purposeful leader.
From my standpoint, many organisations are doing a good job at shifting purpose from aspiration to reality, striking a balance between internal and external activities that serve their stakeholder ecosystem (e.g., their clients, their people, their shareholders and society). However, our survey revealed that a fifth are at risk of ‘purpose-washing’, in other words, professing to fulfil a greater purpose but in reality misusing purpose for commercial gain. For me, it’s always been about doing the right things for the right reasons and making this a non-negotiable for my people too.
Takeaway:
Closing the gap between what you say and what you do is fundamental for leaders of purpose-driven businesses.